Case Study: 2019 VA HD-40

Del. Dan Helmer

Stanford Campaigns’ research helped flip a top priority seat to win back the majority in the Virginia House.

In 2019, Army vet, Rhodes Scholar, and small business owner Dan Helmer knocked out longtime incumbent and House GOP Caucus Chair Tim Hugo in the most expensive House of Delegates race in the history of Virginia, with Helmer and Hugo raising a combined $3.6 million.

With the help of our research, Helmer’s team made the case that Hugo was too extreme on guns, health care, and choice issues, which resonated with voters, and Helmer won 52-48.